Bloodlust: A Little Game
by Dani-san
Summary: Itachi killed his family. And he swore to kill him. But Itachi seems more interested in the local blonde boy. AU. Vampire!Itachi. ItaNaru, SasuNaru. Maybe lemon in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning:** Yaoi. Maybe lemon in next chapter. Rated M for language and content.

**Author's Note:** This is AU. It has to do with vampires and Naruto, so yeah. Oh, and Itachi's not related to Sasuke in this. Remember, this _is_ an AU fanfiction.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the first chapter. :3

* * *

The night was unnaturally quiet, the lights of the city flashing across the clouds in the sky and illuminating them. Dark eyes stared out over the city; he was crouched on the roof of one of the taller buildings, his hands folded infront of him. Short breezes caught his dark strands of hair, tossing them about his face.

He didn't seem bothered by it.

Sasuke closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he stood. Again the pools of black opened as he gazed at the neon signs of the city and dark alleys. A soft sigh left his lips as he turned, making his way toward the door that led inside the building. His footsteps echoed as he walked down the lonely stairs, his gaze on the floor. Sasuke's navy sandals hit the floor as he stepped off the bottom step, dark eyes shifting around the dark room quickly.

He felt like he was being watched. But there was no one there. The raven shook his head, his sandals scraping against the floor as he walked toward the door, his hands shoved in his pockets.

Anyone else probably wouldn't have noticed it; it would have been nothing to them.

But Sasuke noticed.

Breathing.

There was someone in there with him, in the shadows, watching him. He paused, staring ahead at the door and listening to the sound of the soft breathing. From the way the person was breathing, only occasionally, it was almost as if they didn't need to...

Sasuke tensed up. He continued to stare at the door, less than five feet away from where he stood, listening as the breathing stopped. He didn't move when he heard the one watching him shift and take a few steps forward; it was only when he heard his name slip from the other's lips did his head snap toward him, his eyes narrowing into slits and his teeth gritting.

"Sasuke."

"Itachi..."

Red eyes met black as the pair stared at each other. It was as if Itachi had expected the attack; the instant the younger launched himself at Itachi, he had moved - too quickly for a human. In the time it took Sasuke to lunge, Itachi had appeared behind him and grabbed hold of both of his arms, forcing the younger of the two against the wall. The raven winced, a low hiss escaping his throat as he struggled against the iron grip that held him.

And, truthfully, Itachi wasn't even trying to hold Sasuke in place.

He leaned down toward Sasuke's ear, a faint smirk playing as he lips as he whispered. "Still trying to kill me?" The raven snarled, his eyes snapping open and glaring at Itachi from the corner of his eye. "I _will_ kill you!" he hissed, his voice laced with venom.

Itachi almost laughed.

"You can't even touch me. You're weak." As if to prove his point, Itachi tightened his grip on Sasuke's arms, pushing him harder against the wall, his smirk still playing on his lips as he watched Sasuke wince in pain. Dark eyes clenched shut. He could feel the strain on his ribs; if Itachi were to push a little harder, they'd crack.

That's what Sasuke expected, actually; to feel his ribs crack suddenly. But instead, Itachi's finger curled into his silky hair, pulling his back and then slamming it forward into the wall. The younger didn't even have the chance to cry out before he was unconscious, falling limp. Red eyes stared dully at the boy that had fallen into his arms, listening to his steady breathing. With ease Itachi lifted the younger over his shoulder, making his way back toward the staircase and setting him down next to it; Sasuke's head lolled to the side, his hair falling into his face.

Itachi stood.

His eyes searched through the abandoned building, finally finding what he was looking for. He bent, one hand curling around the short, thin pipe that lay on the floor. Itachi glanced back toward Sasuke, and with his free hand he took both of his hands and lifted them above his head, up against one of the metal beams that held the rail up. Quickly, he slid the pipe behind the rail; he released Sasuke's hands, and Itachi quickly bent the thin pipe around them before his arms fell forward again.

It was easy for him.

He stepped back, smirking slightly. Sasuke wouldn't wake up anytime soon, and when he did he'd have to get himself free.

Itachi made his way toward the door, his long hair flowing behind him; normally, he would have knocked the boy unconscious and left him there. Sasuke would wake up and come after him again, unless it was light out.

But this time, Itachi didn't want to take the chance of the raven awakening. After all, he had things to do tonight...

* * *

"Geez, Hinata, your boobs must have made you heavy!"

There was a quiet gasp, and an exclaimation of "Kiba-kun!" followed by a loud bark; any passersby would have easily been able to tell what had happened. Kiba lay on the asphalt with a blushing Hinata on top of him, too stunned to move. Nearby, a blinking little blonde stood, confused. He was bent over slightly, his foot stuck out.

It was obvious.

Naruto had bent over to pick up lose change, Hinata had tripped over his foot, and Kiba had been the one to take the brunt of the fall. By this point, a pink haired girl had taken the other girl's hand and pulled her up, and Kiba was sitting up and brushing himself off with a grin. "G-Gomenasai, Kiba-kun!" the dark haired girl exclaimed, one finger to her lip as she stared down at her friend.

Kiba just laughed. "S'alright, Hinata, no worries! If anything, it's his fault!"

One hand lifted, pointing toward the blonde who glared. "Hey! It's not my fault! I didn't mean to trip her!"

"What the hell ever!"

A rather annoyed Neji leaned against the graffied wall, white eyes closing as he listened to the pair argue. His cousin would apologize every so often, or say something along the lines of 'Y-You shouldn't be fighing like that...'. At the moment, he felt more like he was babysitting rather than hanging around his group of friends; not all of his friends, mind you. His dark brown hair waved in the wind as he waited for them to either beat the shit out of each other or find something better to do.

"Alright you two, cut it out!" came the voice of Sakura, who was clearly annoyed as she crossed her arms over her chest, wrinkling the light pink tanktop slightly. Naruto blinked, sticking his tongue out toward Kiba before he grinned at his pink haired friend. "You're right, Sakura! 'Sides, don't you and Neji need to get home soon, Hinata?" he inquired, glancing toward the flushed Hyuuga heiress.

She nodded slightly.

"Hn. Well we better get going, or Hiashi-sama will have a cow." Neji pushed away from the wall, pushing passed Sakura and walking down the asphalt sidewalk once more. Kiba grinned, getting up off the ground and glancing toward Sakura, winking toward her. The girl scoffed, waving her hand somewhat dismissively as she passed the boy. "Listen here, Inuzuka, no touchie feely this time home, alright? Three foot distance, got it?" she questioned, pointing a finger at the boy. He lifted his hands in a defeated manner, the grin never leaving his face.

"Right, right. That was a one time thing! Hey, see you guys later!"

Kiba and Sakura waved to the trio ahead of them, turning down another street and pushing their way through the passersby. The little blonde waved after them, turning his attention to something Neji was asking him moments later. "What are you going to do when you get home?" Naruto shrugged.

"Watch some tv, maybe get on MSN, eat junk food. The usual!" he replied, folding his arms behind his head as he walked along. "What about you guys?" Neji didn't reply at first. Instead, it was Hinata. "We-Well... Um, otousan is taking me up to Byakugan tomorrow to, well, learn how to take it over..."

Byakugan - the biggest business in the city. It made everything from cars to high-tech computers to mechanical pencils. And Hinata was the heir to the company.

"What about you Neji?"

The older boy shrugged, folding his arms over his chest. "Whatever I feel like doing, I guess."

Cerulean blue eyes narrowed into a glare. "Yeah, because that tells me so much!" Hinata surpressed a light giggle with her hand. The trio entered the parking garage and Neji hadn't even pulled his keys from his pocket to unlock the doors before Naruto sprinted up to the white camarro, shouting over his shoulder "Shot gun!".

And the instant he touched the handle, the alarm went off. Which, in turn, caused several other car alarms to scream loudly. Neji growled as he lifted both hands to his ears, yelling over the alarms screeching into the night. "Way to go, loser!" The eldest Hyuuga turned the alarm off with a click of a button, though they still had the others to deal with. Naruto grinned sheepishly as he pulled the door open, the familar 'Ding, ding, ding' sound filling his ears which indicated the door was open.

As if it wasn't obvious.

Neji slid into the drivers seat, and Hinata was content with the back.

One hand found the right key and shoved it into the ignition, turning it away from his body; immediately, the sound of the engine starting up greeted the three, and Neji released the key, placing both hands onto the steering wheel. By this time, most of the alarms had been turned off. With ease, the older Hyuuga pulled out of the parking space, leaving the garage and pulling out onto the street.

After a few moments of silence, Naruto groaned. "It's too quiet!" he complained, leaning forward in his seat and fiddling with the radio. Neji rolled his eyes. "Stop messing with my radio."

"Maybe if you two talked or something, I wouldn't have to! Hey Hinata, what do you want to listen to?" Naruto inquired, glancing over his shoulder between his and Neji's seats at the girl.

She jumped slightly, one hand lifting to her lips as her cheeks tinted a very light pink. "Well... I-It doesn't matter, whatever yo-you want, Naruto-kun." It was a hesitant reply. That was one thing Naruto had always found odd about Hinata; she always stuttered, was always hesitant. He, on the other hand, hardly ever stuttered, if at all, and always acted before he thought. After a few more moments of fiddling, he grunted in annoyance and slumped back into his seat.

If it wasn't music that died 20 years ago it was some country song singing about _farming._ Who the hell could listen to a song about farming?

Neji seemed slightly amused, actually, and chuckled softly at his friend's grumpiness. The scene had changed drastically as they drove forward. New buildings had given way to crumbling old buildings that looked as if a feather landing on them would make them topple: there were no longer any people bustling along in business suits, instead bums in tattered clothing walking along: where before there was only graffiti occasionally, now almost every wall was covered in it.

This was the neighborhood Naruto grew up in.

Most of his other friends on the more "rich" side of the city, while he was down here. It was so bad, his run-down apartment was probably one of the more attractive buildings in the area. Several of his friends had insisted on him coming to live with them, but he always refused and told them he would be perfectly fine by himself.

Neji eased the car to the side of the street, stopping and putting it in park before turning to his blonde friend.

"Really, Hiashi-sama probably would let you stay wi-"

"I've told you guys a thousand times! I'm going to be just _fine_ here!"

The older Hyuuga rolled his eyes, turning forward in his seat and putting his hands back on the steering wheel. Naruto placed one hand on the handle before Hinata spoke. "We're just, um, well... we're worried, Naruto-kun..." she stuttered out, the sleeve of her shirt covering part of her lips. The Uzumaki blinked before smiling. "Heh, don't worry about me, Hinata! You just worry about learning how to run Byakugan, alright? See you later guys!"

He pushed the door open, stepping out and slamming it once more. Cerulean blue eyes watched Neji pulled on the gear shift and start to pull away, and Naruto waved to the pair as Neji made a U-turn (seeming to ignore the fact that it was illegal, due to the area they were in) and drove off. The blonde grinned, turning and sprinting up to the apartment door, entering the building and jogging up the stairs toward his apartment.

Slowly Naruto made his way down the corridor, his footsteps muted on the shaggy blue carpet. As he reached his door, the little blonde reached into his pocket, pulling out a keycard and sliding it through the designated slot, the sound of the door clicking open familar; one hand pushed the door open as he stepped inside, tossing the keycard onto the nearby kitchen counter.

The blonde's apartment was actually really nice. Last summer, his friends had gotten him to swallow his pride and had helped him fix the place up: new paint, carpeting, lighting, doors, furniture, and appliances. Neji and Hinata had paid for most everything, despite Naruto's complaints. Before, it was probably the worst living space in the entire apartment building. After all, the Uzumaki had to stay somewhere cheap, since he didn't have a full-time job and couldn't pay for alot of things.

Naruto stretched as he plopped down on the couch, reaching over and picking the remote up to turn the tv on.

Rapidly, he flipped through the channels before stopping it on some movie he'd seen several times before; there was nothing else on this late at night. After a few moments of watching the familar scene, he stood and made his way toward the pantry in the kitchen, pulling a blue popcorn bag from a box and tossing it into the microwave. The smell of salty butter filled his apartment as he reached up into the cabinet to pull a large orange bowl from it; the microwave beeped four times, and he retrieved the bag of popcorn.

"Gah! That's hot!" Naruto dropped the bag onto the counter, sticking his heated finger in his mouth and sucking on it gently.

Being more careful, the Uzumaki pulled the opening of the bag apart, dropping the popcorn into the bowl and trying to pick out the burnt pieces and the unpopped kernels. It was as he was making his way back toward the couch, popcorn bowl in hand, that he heard it.

It sounded like footsteps.

Inside his apartment.

Naruto froze, his heart racing. Immediately, cerulean blue eyes snapped toward the door: closed. Then they flew toward the french doors that opened up onto the balcony: closed as well. His rapid beating heart slowed down, and the little blonde scolded himself. "Stupid nerves..." He jogged toward the couch, leaping over and plopping down onto it. Naruto tossed a piece of popcorn into the air, catching it in his mouth before he began to watch the movie again.

The credits were going by when the footsteps sounded again. This time, instantly Naruto dropped the empty bowl of popcorn to the floor, diving toward the table next to the couch and lifting the phone to his ear, dialing the first number that came to his mind. It rang three times before someone answered.

"Hello?" It was Neji's voice.

"Neji? I think someone's in my house!"

"What do you mean 'you think someone's in your house'? You have it locked, don't you?"

"Yeah, but still! What if there is someone in here?"

There was an irritated sigh on the other end of the line. "You sound like a girl, Naruto." The blonde fumed. "Shut the fuck up, Neji! I'm just worried, okay?!" he shouted into the phone.

"Alright, alright, calm down. You want me to come over or something?"

"Yeah, thanks Neji. That's be great if you did."

"Hold on, I'm on my way." The tone that followed afterward told Naruto that his friend had hung up. The blonde replaced the phone, resting his chin on the armrest of the couch and clutching one of throw pillows to his chest as he did so. _Neji's right, I do sound like a girl. What the hell is wrong with me? There's people above me, goddamnit! Of course I'm hearing footsteps!_ he thought with a small sigh, pushing himself up into a sitting position and bending down to retrieve the discared bowl, which was upside down.

He didn't feel like getting up. With a grunt, Naruto flung the bowl toward the sink, grinning widely as it landed on the edge of the sink and then fell into it. "Score." The little blonde glanced back toward the tv; he'd muted it when the movie had ended, and now he watched a commercial about 'Natural Male Enhancement' flash across the television screen. One hand gripped the remote, pushing the On/Off button before setting the device back on the table. He closed his eyes, leaning back against the couch and pulling the throw pillow onto his lap.

Five minutes passed, and Naruto had fallen into a half-sleep.

However, he was wrenched from that slumber at the sudden ringing of the phone, jumping slightly before turning to glare at the phone. Naruto reached over, picking it up and putting the receiver to his ear. "Yeah?"

"I'm grounded."

"WHAT?! For what?!"

"Apparently for trying to leave after my curfew. I explained to Hiashi-sama, but he won't have it. Sorry Naruto."

Naruto put a hand to his forehead, leaning back against the couch. "Don't you have a car? Just leave!"

"That's kinda hard to do when he took my keys, baka. He won't let neither Hinata nor I leave. Can you come over here?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. I was just overreacting anyway, I think."

"You sure?" Naruto noted the hint of worry in Neji's voice and chuckled slightly.

"'Course! Sorry for bothering you. Catch you tomorrow, Neji."

There was a murmur of "Yeah bye" before Naruto pressed the Talk button, letting his hand drop from his ear lazily. Naruto stared above the tv for a moment before he reached over, putting the phone back in its place. He flopped down on the couch, landing on his side and curling up slightly, clutching the pillow to his chest. Soon, he was sleeping lightly.

Naruto awoke to footsteps again. Cerulean blue eyes snapped open, staring ahead. His heart was beating rapidly as he lifted his gaze to stare at the clock above the tv; it was too late for anyone else in the apartment building to be awake still. Normally, Naruto was the last one awake. He knew because sometimes he woke the other tenants up and they would come down to yell at the, putting it kindly, "obnoxious little shithead that woke them up nearly ever damn night".

Rapidly, the blonde sprang to his feet, sprinting quietly toward the closet and pulling a baseball bat, gripping it in both hands. Whoever was in there was getting their head flattened. Cerulean blue eyes narrowed as he searched the living room, glancing into the kitchen and entry way: nothing yet. Slowly, Naruto made his way down the hallway. There was no one in his bedroom.

He crept toward the bathroom, gripping the bat tightly. Suddenly, the door opened, and Naruto cried out at the figure that appeared, swinging the bat; said figure ducked, and the bat smashed against the wall, splintering with the impact. He was about to swing it again when he heard the familar voice. "Naruto! It's me, calm down! You're so damn troublesome!"

The Uzumaki blinked.

"Shikamaru, what're you doing here?" The brunette scratched his head slightly. "Neji called me and told me to check up on you. But you had to go and nearly kill me," the lazy boy replied, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets. Naruto grinned. "Sorry, I thought you were some wierdo or something! How'd you get in here anyway?"

Immediately, he whipped out a keycard that was similar to Naruto's.

"You left this at my house that one time you slept over, remember? When you had to get a new one from your landlord? I used this."

Naruto smiled sheepishly. "Eh, heh, sorry 'bout that. And sorry about nearly taking your head off." Shikamaru shook his head. "You could have, with the force of that blow. It splintered your bat; no wonder you're the one with the most homeruns hit on our team." One of the blonde's hands lifted, scratching at his head awkwardly as he grinned.

Shikamaru shook his head, pushing passed his shorter friend and making his way into the living room. He watched the little blonde toss the broken bat back into the closet, then as Naruto plopped back down on the couch. "I can't stay for long. Mom didn't even want me leaving to check on you; she was having a cow." The blonde rolled his eyes.

"She's always having a cow."

"That's what they do; women are just troublesome like that," Shikamaru smiled faintly. "You gonna be alright by yourself?" Naruto nodded rapidly, glancing toward the clock above the tv then back toward his pony-tailed friend. "'Course. Sorry for worrying you guys, by the way!"

The lazy boy shrugged.

"Talk to you tomorrow, then."

Shikamaru turned and left, leaving Naruto in his apartment alone. Cerulean blue eyes closed again; this time, Naruto was more peaceful looking as he drifted off into sleep.

And he never noticed the red eyes watching him from just beyond the balcony.

* * *

Squee. First chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it.

I love comments and reviews. If you found any spelling or grammar errors, let me know, 'kay?

And I like criticism.

Dani-san


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning:** AU, yaoi, lemon in further chapters probably.

**Author's Note:** This chapter is shorter than the other. xP Sorry.

My head's been hurting recently, so yeah. But I wanted to write this anyway.

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

He groaned, dark eyes screwing themselves tighter against the light that filtered in through the busted windows. His head felt like a horse was kicking it repeatedly. Pain shot through his body as he shifted, and Sasuke grunted slightly as he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he started to do was reach down to rub at his eyes; that's when he realized that his hands were tied tightly above his head.

Sasuke tilted his head back, staring up at the pipe that restrained him.

It was easy to tell who had done it; Itachi. And Itachi was responsible for his splitting headache as well. Sasuke started to try to pull his wrists from the binds, pain shooting through his body as the movement. It hurt. His teeth clenched as he twisted until he was on his knees, his arms slightly criss-crossed; one foot was placed against the stairway and he pushed against it, despite the pain it caused.

As he pushed, Sasuke tried to slip his hands from the pipe, clenching dark eyes shut as he felt one of his wrists pull out of place. He was stuck. Taking in a deep breath, the raven tried again; this time, his hands slipped slightly. Repeating the process, though it hurt greatly, Sasuke managed to free himself.

He rubbed at his rust-covered, raw wrists gently before he abruptly popped his wrist back into place with a wince. The Uchiha stood.

He lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the light, squinting against it. It was too late to hunt Itachi down now. Sighing slightly, Sasuke dropped his hand and made his way toward the door, pulling it open and stepping out into the alleyway. Dark eyes lifted upward, staring at the clouded sky for a few moments; it was going to rain soon. The raven pulled the collar of his shirt up higher, jogging down the alleyway. After several minutes of jogging through what seemed to be an intricate street and alley system, the Uchiha halted for breath, leaning against the wall. Sasuke closed his eyes.

"Hey, kid, you're in our territory!"

Dark eyes snapped open at the voice, and Sasuke turned his head to look at the group - more like gang. There were at least seven of them other than the one who had spoken to Sasuke. He didn't reply to the exclaimation, instead simply closed his eyes once more. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

"And I'm not listening."

The one who'd been speaking, probably the leader, growled and stalked forward, catching the slightly shorter boy by the shirt collar and jerking him up. "What'd you say to me?" Sasuke glared up at him, one hand reaching up and taking hold of the other's wrist, twisting it slightly and forcing the guy to let go of him. "If you know what's good for you, you won't challenge me." It was almost said in a bored tone. The boy seemed confused, then he grinned, glancing over his shoulder. "Kid thinks he can take all of us on at once apparently!" The group laughed.

Sasuke folded his arms over his chest, rolling his eyes.

The leader smirked. "Well how about it, then? You gonna get out of our territory? Or are we gonna have to _make_ you?" Again, he didn't reply. But a small smirk played on his lips as he leaned back against the wall, indicating he wasn't going anywhere. Instantly, the guy threw a punch at Sasuke's face; the raven caught the fist, tightening his grip and feeling the hand break under the strain. The gang leader cried out in pain, jerking his hand free from the Uchiha's grip.

"Kick his ass!"

The group sprang toward Sasuke.

The sounds of the fight could be heard from a good 50 feet away. And anyone who had watched the whole affair from beginning to end never would have been able to tell the story to someone else without being called a liar.

Because it was Sasuke who walked from the alley, unphased and without a scratch.

* * *

Naruto was sleeping peacefully, his arms curled around a throw pillow which he was drooling on. However, he was suddenly rudely awakened by loud banging on his door. The little blonde groaned, curling tighter around the pillow and trying to ignore the constant banging. But it only grew louder, and eventually Naruto growled and stood, making his way toward the door. His fingers curled around the doorknob as he twisted it and jerked it open... only to be greeted by several angry tenants.

The Uzumaki blinked.

He didn't have time to say anything before they started yelling.

"Little brat! Wake me up one more time and I'll-"

"This is the second time this mon-"

"Do you enjoy waking us all up? We have jobs, you know, ungratef-"

"How about I knock some sense into that thick head of your-"

The shouting grew to a deafening level, and Naruto lifted both hands to his ears to block the sound out. Suddenly, one of the men reached forward and grabbed him by the shirt collar, glaring as he brought the boy up to his eye level. "Listen, if you wake any of us up again, we'll call the landlord and get your ass thrown out of this apartment building, got it?!"

Naruto nodded dumbly and was dropped to the ground, landing on his bum; he watched dully as the tenants cleared from his door, blinking in a somewhat stupid manner. What had just happened?

The blonde didn't dwell on it.

Instead, he picked himself off the ground and brushed himself off, jogging into his bedroom to change clothing. From his window he could tell it was going to rain soon, and the blonde searched through his closet for the right clothing. Eventually, after a few minutes of deciding, Naruto was dressed in an American Eagle hoodie and a pair of jeans that had bleached spots in them. He'd never been very good at laundry. The blonde hopped over onto his bed, scrambling over it until he was next to the nightstand. Naruto pulled the drawer out, lifting a wad of money out of it, then pushed the drawer in and jumped off his bed, making his way through the hallway toward the entry way.

Before he left he remembered to grab the keycard on the kitchen counter, shutting the door behind him and sprinting down the stairs; he was quiet, careful not to wake the other tenants again.

After all, he needed this living setup.

Leaving the apartment building, Naruto walked leisurely down the sidewalk; he passed several bums, dark alleys with people trying to sell him various (useless) items, graffitied walls, crumbling buildings, and more as he walked. It was a common sight for him. The wind picked up, howling through the trees and tossing his hair about his head.

He knew to walk quickly to avoid any possible problems; where he was from, it was common for someone to be walking down the street and suddenly be shot by some random gangmember wanna-be. It took him a while before he was on the nicer side of the city, his destination. Cerulean blue eyes shifted toward the grocery store nearby, and Naruto jogged across the street, dodging cars and annoyed shouts and honking filling the air; after all, he'd gone across when the sign said No Walking. The doors slid open as he came close, and Naruto's fingers curled around the handle of a cart and he started shopping.

It was over in the meat section, where Naruto was deciding between chicken or pork, when someone bumped into him; the little blonde hadn't expected it, and he fell forward, catching himself on his hands and knees. A low growl emitted from his throat as he watched the feet of the person who had bumped into him walk passed.

"Hey!" he shouted, head snapping up to glare at their back. "You could at least apologize or something!"

The person halted, turning toward him slightly. Naruto noted the boy was about his age, with dark eyes and equally dark hair which almost appeared to be tinted blue-ish. He also noted that both wrists were wrapped in bandages slightly. "Watch where you're going!"

"You watch where you're standing."

Naruto fumed. He stood, making his way toward the boy. It was easy to tell the other was a good two inches taller than him at least, but the little blonde couldn't care less; he just puffed his chest out and stood on his tip-toes slightly. "You're the jerk who ran into me! Now apologize right now!" Sasuke quirked an eyebrow. Was this kid for real?

"Alright. I'm sorry you're a loser who can't keep himself up right."

"That's what I th- hey!"

The raven rolled his eyes, turning and starting to walk off. Naruto's hands snapped out, catching the other's arm and jerking him back. "I'm not done talking to you, asshole!" Sasuke growled, wrenching his arm away from the blonde's grasp. "Not interested, loser." He shoved his hands into his pocket, turning and walking away once more.

Naruto shot forward, skidding to a halt infront of the other boy and glaring. "I'm not leaving until you apologize to me!"

Sasuke glared. "Hn. Whatever," he replied, stepping passed the blonde; his shoulder connected roughly with Naruto's, and the Uzumaki twisted slightly from the force of the purposeful move. Leaving his half-full cart in the middle of the isle, he followed after the raven haired boy who had been so rude to him, trailing along behind him. Sasuke noticed the footsteps, stopping and staring ahead.

"What do you want?"

"I _said_ I wasn't going to leave until you apologized to me!"

"Do you not have a life or something?"

"I have a life! I just want an apology, damnit!"

Sasuke peered over his shoulder, eyes narrowing into slits. "You're bothering me." Naruto fumed, his teeth gritting as he returned the hateful glare tenfold. With a roll of his eyes, Sasuke started forward again, only to have Naruto tag along behind him. When Sasuke left the grocery store, so did Naruto; when Sasuke crossed the street, so did Naruto.

This had been going on for ten minutes before the raven stopped.

Naruto grinned. "Finally gonna apologize?" he inquired, tilting his head slightly with a smug look on his face. The little blonde didn't see it, but Sasuke rolled his eyes. He didn't reply. Suddenly, the raven broke into a deadsprint, easily putting a five foot distance between them before Naruto even knew what had happened. "Hey! Get back here!" Sasuke grunted as he heard the footsteps behind him, slowly starting to catch up. _Time for plan B then._

The raven veered sharply to the left into an alleyway. Naruto nearly fell as he made the same turn, but the little blonde caught himself just in time and kept going. Sasuke growled; why couldn't he shake the kid off? Up ahead dark eyes caught sight of a dumpster and some trashcans; as he passed, he hit his foot against the stop that kept the dumpster from rolling, smirking as he heard it slowly start to roll toward Naruto.

Cerulean blue eyes widened at the sight.

He jumped upward, his feet catching on the edge; Naruto pushed off, sailing clean over the dumpster and followed after Sasuke. The sound of the dumpster falling into the street reverberated through the alleyway. Sasuke snarled slightly, again turning a sharp corner. This time, however, he pressed himself against the wall once he'd turned. And when Naruto rounded the same corner, Sasuke caught him by the shirt collar, turning and slamming him to the wall, his arm lifted to the blonde's throat and pressed inward. Enough to cause a little pain, but not enough to block breathing or speech.

Naruto gasped at the sudden contact, eyes narrowing into slits.

"What's your problem?! Why do you keep following me?" Sasuke growled out, glaring daggers at the blonde. "I told you! You gotta apologize to me! When you do, I'll leave you alone!" The raven's eyes narrowed even farther as he pressed his arm tighter against Naruto's throat for a moment before suddenly letting him go.

"Sorry. You happy now?"

Two hands lifted to his throat, rubbing gently before he grinned and nodded. "Yup!" Naruto responded, lifting his arms up and folding them behind his head. Sasuke rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "Hn."

The blonde inclined his head, his grin widening as he extended one hand toward Sasuke. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, by the way!"

Sasuke stared at the hand for a moment before lifting his eyes toward Naruto in a 'I'm-not-going-to-touch-you' fashion. The blonde dropped his hand in a somewhat confused manner. "So, who're you?"

"..."

"Well?"

"... Sasuke. Just Sasuke." It was an almost hesitant reply, but Naruto didn't seem to notice. "Sasuke huh? Well, what are you doing now? I mean, I know you were shopping earlier. But now what?"

The raven glanced toward Naruto, quirking an eyebrow. Why was this kid suddenly so interested in what Sasuke was doing? He'd already decided the guy had problems, but this was somewhat ridiculous. "I'm heading home," came a reply finally, and Sasuke stepped passed Naruto, shoving his hands into his pockets.

The Uzumaki quickly caught up with him, walking alongside the raven. "Where do you live?"

"It doesn't matter."

"I was just asking!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, halting and turning to glare at the blonde. "Listen, I don't need you following me around. So get back to where you belong, alright? Because out here, you'll die."

He blinked in confusion, then returned the glare. Naruto had lived on the bad side of the city for his entire life, and now this kid thought he could just come on the scene and talk to his like that?! There was no way he was gonna stand for that!

"What the hell do you know?! You don't even know what I'm capable of!"

"I know you're capable of getting in the way and being a nuissance. Hn. I doubt you could last even a few hours on the streets out here before you'd run home to whatever cozy little home you have," Sasuke hissed out, dark eyes flickering as he continued to walk once more. Again, Naruto jogged after him. "Is that a challenge?! I could so last out here! I know how to take care of myself!" Sasuke almost laughed.

"Whatever. You wouldn't last for even a few hours, like I said."

"You wanna bet on that?!"

The Uchiha stopped, glancing curiously at the fuming blonde near him. Then, a smirk played over his lips. "Yeah, I do. I bet you can't last out it out here with me until tomorrow morning."

Naruto grinned, pointing a finger at Sasuke.

"You're on! But, I thought you were heading home? If so, then this'll be a piece of cake!" Sasuke watched him fold his arms behind his head, dark eyes flashing slightly at the comment. The Uchiha looked away from Naruto, his dark bangs falling into his eyes. "... I live out here. On the streets." Naruto's grin faded at the words, and he stared at Sasuke curiously. "You... what?"

"Hard of hearing?" the Uchiha snapped, glaring at the little blonde for a moment before he continued to walk. "Are you coming or not?"

Naruto stared after Sasuke. _He lives on the streets? Where are his parents? I mean, sure, he could be like me and be an orphan but wouldn't he at least have a foster home to stay in?!_ It confused him, but Naruto didn't dwell on it; after all, Sasuke was starting to get farther up ahead.

"Yeah, I'm coming!"

He caught up to the Uchiha easily, trailing along behind him. Cerulean blue eyes shifted about their surroundings, noting everything with interest; truth be told, he'd never been on this side of the 'bad side' of the city. It wasn't much different from the side of the city he lived on. So he didn't know why Sasuke didn't think he couldn't survive out here.

Then it hit him.

Sasuke must have assumed that because of his brand of clothing and the fact that he was shopping on that side of town that Naruto was one of the richer people. The American Eagle hoodie had belonged to Neji, actually; the Hyuuga had forgotten it when he'd stayed over one night, and so the little blonde had kept it. After all, Neji could just get a new one.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice when the raven stopped infront of him, and Naruto ran smack into his back, falling on his ass and growling. "What the hell was that ab-" The blonde looked up, and he trailed off. From around Sasuke, he could see a small group up ahead coming toward them. It was one girl and two guys; they didn't look like much of a threat. Naruto pulled himself up into a standing position, watching the three approach. "Hey, Sasuke, I have something I wanna give you!" Naruto watched as one of the guys ran up, drew his fist back, and suddenly punched the Uchiha in the face. Sasuke fell backward into the blonde, one hand lifting to his nose which was bleeding slightly.

Naruto had managed to catch himself, though the raven lay on the ground.

The guy smirked, grinning over his shoulder at the two behind him: a brunette girl and another guy with bandages wrapped around his face. The other male sighed.

"Zaku, don't make such a scene."

"Really. It's stupid," the girl spoke up, smirking toward the Uchiha slightly before her gaze lifted to Zaku once more. He turned, glaring at Sasuke and kicking him sharply in the stomach. "And that's just the start for breaking my arms!"

Zaku reached down, picking Sasuke up by the collar of his shirt. Again, he drew his fist back and aimed a punch at the other boy's face...

Which was promptly caught by Naruto. He tightened his grip around the fist, feeling the bones strain. "What the hell did Sasuke ever do to you?! Leave him alone!" With surprising force for such a small kid, Naruto shoved Zaku back into his two friends; Kin caught him, keeping him from falling backward.

The other guy, Dosu, eyed Naruto curiously before he shrugged. "Leave the Uchiha alone for now. Lets go."

He turned, walking off. Kin and Zaku were quick to follow.

The little blonde glanced down at Sasuke, who was dabbing at his bloodied nose gently. Naruto kneeled, watching him for a moment before tilting his head. "You alright?"

"Fine."

"Why'd you just let him hit you like that?!" Sasuke grunted, glaring at Naruto and standing. "It's none of your business." As much as he wanted to, Naruto didn't press the matter further. He watched Sasuke start to walk off once more, trailing along behind him. After all, the Uzumaki planned on winning this bet.

No matter what.

* * *

Yay. :3 Anyways, the ending's a little bad.

Sorry about that. Again, comments and reviews are loved. And if you could point out mistakes or tips, that'd be great.

Dani-san


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